Grand Prix PR drive backfires

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The Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed for five hours yesterday as
part of a formula one publicity stunt that led to the walkout of
the Melbourne Grand Prix's media manager.

Australia's Mark Webber spent only about 10 minutes driving his
BMW-Williams back and forth across the bridge, but the bureaucratic
wrangles and disagreements over red tape and media strategy in the
lead-up to the event have left the country's premier motor race
without one of its most important figures just a week before it
begins.

Geoff Harris, a former motor sport journalist who has been with
the Melbourne Grand Prix for eight years, is believed to have had a
handful of disagreements over strategic issues since the new
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive, Tim Bamford,
took over last year.

The last straw was Mr Harris's belief that the plans for
yesterday, as originally agreed to, would have constituted a PR
disaster and a huge missed opportunity.

Mr Harris said that originally they called for no spectators or
even photographers to be on the bridge - meaning the chance to get
"killer" still images would have been lost. He was also upset at
the amount of horse trading and bureaucratic interference he
believed was preventing him from realising the event's
potential.

Eventually the media were allowed onto the bridge, but they were
kept behind a barrier at least 50 metres from Webber and there was
no access for getting side-on images of the action.

The public was banned from the bridge during the exercise and
there were no vantage points available other than in buildings.
Apart from staying home and watching the event on TV, the only
other involvement allowed was to watch a TV superscreen at Hickson
Road Reserve.

The Premier, Bob Carr, said the traffic disruption was
worthwhile for the international media coverage the event would
get. "Money can't buy this sort of promotion."

With Mr Carr waving a chequered flag, Webber's crew fired up the
screaming 900 horsepower V10 engine and the former Queanbeyan boy
made half a dozen passes over the bridge, with flick-turns at each
end.

Webber said driving over the empty bridge - at close to twice
the 90kmh that was expected - was a "tremendous buzz".

A police spokesman said traffic forced to use alternative
routes, including the Harbour Tunnel, appeared to have flowed
smoothly.